Expert Debates

EXPERT DEBATES

Live and Interactive sessions designed to inform and entertain

WAS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GREAT BENGAL FAMINE OF 1943?

2 min read

WAS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GREAT BENGAL FAMINE OF 1943?

SPEAKERS: Amb. Kishan S Rana Ambassador Kishan S. Rana is Professor Emeritus, and a Senior Fellow at DiploFoundation. He was Ambassador...

IS INDIA'S DEFENCE IMPORT BAN A GOOD MOVE?

Argumentative Indians

2 min read

IS INDIA'S DEFENCE IMPORT BAN A GOOD MOVE?

SYNOPSIS: Recently, several independent outlets reported that the #indianmilitary could be running out of critical weapons and equipment...

Argumentative Indians

3 min read

TIME FOR INDIA TO END ITS WAR ON DRUGS?

SYNOPSIS: The global War on Drugs has now been in motion for over 6 decades. In the 1960s-80s, with the UN passing its Single Convention...

Argumentative Indians

3 min read

IS TIBET MOVEMENT A LOST CAUSE?

SYNOPSIS: Tibet remains a key factor in Indo-China relations. After the Chinese occupation of #tibet in 1950, India and China came to...

SHOULD THE RICH WORLD FOOT THE CLIMATE BILL?

Argumentative Indians

3 min read

SHOULD THE RICH WORLD FOOT THE CLIMATE BILL?

SYNOPSIS: “The causes of #climatechange are clear. Developed countries have appropriated the Earth’s atmospheric space by emitting the...

Argumentative Indians

3 min read

SHOULD BLASPHEMY BE PUNISHABLE?

SYNOPSIS: Blasphemy is any offense to religious sentiments. Globally, 79 countries have laws penalising blasphemy, ranging from secular...

IS ISRAEL COMMITTING APARTHEID AGAINST PALESTINIANS?

Argumentative Indians

3 min read

IS ISRAEL COMMITTING APARTHEID AGAINST PALESTINIANS?

SYNOPSIS: Several #humanrights organisations including #amnestyinternational which released the report- ‘Israel’s Apartheid Against...

SHOULD INDIA DISCARD NO-FIRST-USE NUCLEAR DOCTRINE ?

Argumentative Indians

2 min read

SHOULD INDIA DISCARD NO-FIRST-USE NUCLEAR DOCTRINE ?

A #policy of No First Use (NFU) of nuclear weapons has long characterised India’s #security doctrine. Official declarations of that...

CAN HUMAN RIGHTS BE A VIABLE FOREIGN POLCIY FOR INDIA ?

Argumentative Indians

3 min read

CAN HUMAN RIGHTS BE A VIABLE FOREIGN POLCIY FOR INDIA ?

Dr. Sumit Ganguly A Distinguished Professor of Political Science and holds the Rabindranath Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and...

HAS INDIA OVERCOME ITS FEAR OF FOREIGN TRADE ?

Argumentative Indians

3 min read

HAS INDIA OVERCOME ITS FEAR OF FOREIGN TRADE ?

SPEAKERS: 1. Ambassador Kishan S Rana is a Former Diplomat, Professor Emeritus & Senior Fellow at Diplo Foundation. Ambassador to...

Argumentative Indians

2 min read

IS DEMOCRACY IN DECLINE ?

The future of democracy is being painted in gloom. Surging populism and declining confidence in its core institutions including...

SHOULD INDEPENDENT INDIA HONOR SOLDIERS OF THE BRITISH INDIAN ARMY ?

Argumentative Indians

3 min read

SHOULD INDEPENDENT INDIA HONOR SOLDIERS OF THE BRITISH INDIAN ARMY ?

EVENT DATE: 27 FEBRUARY 1.5 million Indian soldiers fought in the trenches of #WorldWar I and just two decades later 2.5 million Indians...

DOES INDIA NEED MORE FEDERALISM OR LESS ?

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

DOES INDIA NEED MORE FEDERALISM OR LESS ?

EVENT DATE: JANUARY 30 With the central government increasing its hold over the states in administrative, financial, and legislative...

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

IS INDIA BECOMING LESS FEDERAL ?

A centralised federal structure was conceived by the Constituent Assembly to protect the Union of India from disintegration. But the...

Argumentative Indians

2 min read

ARE INDIAN WOMEN CHOOSING NOT TO WORK ?

EVENT DATE : 14 JANUARY Indian women are dropping out of the workforce at an alarming rate. As per the latest survey, during the...

SHOULD INDIA SUPPORT RESTORATION OF DEMOCRACY IN MYANMAR ?

Argumentative Indians

4 min read

SHOULD INDIA SUPPORT RESTORATION OF DEMOCRACY IN MYANMAR ?

EVENT DATE : 23 DECEMBER • Dr. Nalapat began the debate by arguing that a country should not just look like a democracy but should also...

IS INDIA READY FOR GENDER NEUTRAL LAWS ?

Argumentative Indians

6 min read

IS INDIA READY FOR GENDER NEUTRAL LAWS ?

EVENT DATE: 21 DECEMBER GENDER NEUTRAL: DEBATE SUMMARY The world is becoming increasingly gender-neutral. Most of Europe and North...

IS TOPPLING OF STATUES AN ACCEPTABLE FORM OF PROTEST ?

Shreyas Isaac

5 min read

IS TOPPLING OF STATUES AN ACCEPTABLE FORM OF PROTEST ?

EVENT DATE: 17 DECEMBER • Dr. Kathleen Modrowski started the discussion by saying that “statues are not neutral and public spaces are not...

Shreyas Isaac

6 min read

CAN INDIA STAND UP TO CHINA ?

EVENT DATE : 10 DECEMBER • Dr Raman opened the discussion; he argues that no doubt there are power rivalries between China and India and ...

SHOULD BRANDS TAKE A STAND ON SOCIO-POLITICAL ISSUES ?

Tiya

11 min read

SHOULD BRANDS TAKE A STAND ON SOCIO-POLITICAL ISSUES ?

EVENT DATE : 30 NOVEMBER DEBATE SUMMARY- BRANDS We often find brands readily jumping onto the social justice bandwagon. Many say that...

CAN ED-TECH SOLVE INDIA'S EDUCATION CRISIS ?

Shreyas Isaac

4 min read

CAN ED-TECH SOLVE INDIA'S EDUCATION CRISIS ?

EVENT DATE : 23 NOVEMBER • The debate began with the question of why India’s education system is still lagging behind and how technology...

Tiya

7 min read

IS INDIA UNDERGOING A HUNGER CRISIS ?

EVENT DATE : 17 NOVEMBER Shweta Kothari(SK): Let me first address the elephant in the room. India has been trailing on the Global Hunger...

Shreyas Isaac

4 min read

IS INDIA'S SOFT POWER EBBING AWAY ?

EVENT DATE : 14 NOVEMBER · The debate began with an explanation of what soft power is, Dr Chaulia explained that soft power is the...

Tiya

6 min read

SHOULD INDIA CRIMINALISE MARITAL RAPE ?

EVENT DATE : 9 NOVEMBER Does the sanctity of marriage brush off the ethical concerns of consent? Is the institution of marriage...

Shreyas Isaac

4 min read

DOES INDIA NEED A NATIONAL LANGUAGE ?

EVENT DATE : 31 OCTOBER The debate began with a discussion on the constitutional status of Hindi and having a National Language, Dr....

Tiya

9 min read

CAN INDIA END ITS DEPENDENCE ON COAL ?

EVENT DATE : 26 OCTOBER The IPCC’s alarming 2021 report details the grim realities of climate change, and its deep consequences on...

DOES INDIA PLAY BIG-BROTHER TO ITS NEIGHBOURS ?

Tiya

11 min read

DOES INDIA PLAY BIG-BROTHER TO ITS NEIGHBOURS ?

EVENT DATE : 12 OCTOBER Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh once said, ‘the real test of foreign policy is in the handling of neighbours.’ While...

Argumentative Indians

6 min read

IS GANGA-JAMUNI TEHZEEB A MYTH ?

EVENT DATE : 8 OCTOBER The glorious imagery conjured by the Awadhi phrase, ‘Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb’- perhaps most commonly evoked for its...

IS INDIA GETTING SIDE-LINED IN THE INDO-PACIFIC ?

Tiya

11 min read

IS INDIA GETTING SIDE-LINED IN THE INDO-PACIFIC ?

EVENT DATE : 27 SEPTEMBER In an enlightening session, eminent panelists from diverse spheres converse about the recent AUKUS agreement...

INDIA'S VAST DIASPORA - BRAIN DRAIN OR NATIONAL STRENGTH ?

Argumentative Indians

3 min read

INDIA'S VAST DIASPORA - BRAIN DRAIN OR NATIONAL STRENGTH ?

EVENT DATE : 18 SEPTEMBER Indian hearts swell with pride as their brethren in the world’s most advanced nation get frequently celebrated...

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

SHOULD INDIAN HISTORY BE REWRITTEN ?

EVENT DATE : 14 SEPTEMBER Voices seeking rewriting of #IndianHistory are not new. For decades there have been myriad groups expressing...

Katherine Abraham

8 min read

WAS INDIA'S PARTITION INEVITABLE ?

EVENT DATE : 7 SEPTEMBER The Partition of India is a moment of history in which two countries birthed out of violence, angst and...

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

SHOULD CASTE BE INCLUDED IN CENSUS ?

EVENT DATE : 3 SEPTEMBER The demand for caste based census is not new and grows louder by the day. This year, almost all political...

IS INDIAN HERITAGE BETTER OFF IN FOREIGN MUSEUMS ?

Argumentative Indians

2 min read

IS INDIAN HERITAGE BETTER OFF IN FOREIGN MUSEUMS ?

EVENT DATE : FRIDAY 27 SEPTEMBER We take immense pride in #India’s unique and glorious #history, and yet the unfortunate irony is that...

WAS THERE A GOLDEN AGE IN PRE-ISLAMIC INDIA ?

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

WAS THERE A GOLDEN AGE IN PRE-ISLAMIC INDIA ?

EVENT DATE : THURSDAY 12 AUGUST There is a widespread view that the Middle Ages of India were a reign of terror unleashed by the Muslim...

INDIA'S TALIBAN DILEMMA - TO CONTAIN OR TO ENGAGE ?

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

INDIA'S TALIBAN DILEMMA - TO CONTAIN OR TO ENGAGE ?

EVENT DATE : TUESDAY, 10 AUGUST As the last of US troops withdraw, Afghanistan’s rapid descent into chaos and violence has already begun....

MUGHAL ERA - AGE OF TOLERANCE OR INTOLERANCE ?

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

MUGHAL ERA - AGE OF TOLERANCE OR INTOLERANCE ?

EVENT DATE : FRIDAY 6 AUGUST Views around the Mughals have been getting increasingly polarised with even the late Mughals now depicted as...

SHOULD INDIA REASSESS IT'S ONE-CHINA POLICY ?

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

SHOULD INDIA REASSESS IT'S ONE-CHINA POLICY ?

EVENT DATE : SUNDAY 25 JULY, 5 PM IST

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

IS INDIA READY FOR UNIFORM CIVIL CODE?

EVENT DATE : 18 JULY, 5 PM IST Backing of Uniform Civil Code by Delhi High Court has once again stirred the polarising debate. While on...

IS INDIAN POLITICS BECOMING MORE OPEN TO WOMEN ?

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

IS INDIAN POLITICS BECOMING MORE OPEN TO WOMEN ?

EVENT DATE : 11 JULY Focus on women representation was clear in latest cabinet reshuffle, which produced as many as 11 women ministers....

NEHRU - THE IDEALIST FOUNDER OF MODERN INDIA OR IT'S FIRST IDOLISED POLITICIAN ?

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

NEHRU - THE IDEALIST FOUNDER OF MODERN INDIA OR IT'S FIRST IDOLISED POLITICIAN ?

EVENT DATE : 4 JULY Sixty years after the death of Pandit Jawaharal Nehru, the independence activist and first prime minister of India...

ARE SOUTHERN STATES TREATED UNFAIRLY IN THE INDIAN UNION ?

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

ARE SOUTHERN STATES TREATED UNFAIRLY IN THE INDIAN UNION ?

EVENT DATE : 20 JUNE Since India’s independence the southern states have made great strides in educating their populations and developing...

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

SHOULD INDIA GET RID OF SEDITION LAW ?

EVENT DATE : 6 JUNE The continued existence of 19th century British-imposed sedition law in the penal code of modern independent India...

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

IS INDIA READY FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY ?

EVENT DATE : 6 JUNE Delhi HC has agreed to hear a batch of pleas seeking recognition for same-sex marriage in India. Advocates of such a...

INDIA'S STANCE ON ISRAEL VS PALESTINE - NEUTRAL OR TILTED ?

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

INDIA'S STANCE ON ISRAEL VS PALESTINE - NEUTRAL OR TILTED ?

EVENT DATE : 23 MAY At the UNSC meeting on 16th May organised to address the escalating violence between Israel and Gaza, India refused...

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

IS INDIA OBSESSED WITH PAKISTAN?

EVENT DATE : 16 MAY 2021 Pakistan dominates India’s political rhetoric, defence strategy, foreign policy, news channels and print media....

HAS COVID CRISIS CAUSED IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO INDIA'S GLOBAL ASPIRATIONS ?

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

HAS COVID CRISIS CAUSED IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE TO INDIA'S GLOBAL ASPIRATIONS ?

EVENT DATE : 15 MAY 2021 India’s vaccine diplomacy was supposed to boost its international image, but now it serves as yet another...

CAN INDIA GET CLOSER TO US WITHOUT ALIENATING RUSSIA ?

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

CAN INDIA GET CLOSER TO US WITHOUT ALIENATING RUSSIA ?

Event Date : Sunday 9 May India’s increasing closeness with the US and joining the QUAD (a loose military alliance with US, Japan and...

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

WILL INDIA BECOME A SUPERPOWER?

Is Dr Kalam’s prediction still possible? EVENT DATE : 18 APRIL 2021 In 2009 Hillary Clinton called India "not just a regional power, but...

IS INDIA EXTRAORDINARILY HYPERSENSITIVE TOWARDS EXTERNAL CRITICISM ?

Argumentative Indians

1 min read

IS INDIA EXTRAORDINARILY HYPERSENSITIVE TOWARDS EXTERNAL CRITICISM ?

EVENT DATE : 4 APRIL 2021 From Wendy Doniger to Evan Spiegel to Justin Trudeau, and more recently Rihanna and Greta Thunberg, we tend to...